"MARTY, MEDIA, DANICA AND
DOUGHNUTS
By John
Landsberg, February 2007
Admittedly, I get confused easily. I never claimed to be the brightest bulb in
the box.
That being said, I am smart enough to know folks who were on a crusade to have
Marty Schottenheimer fired as the coach of the San Diego Chargers are complete,
unadulterated idiots. Luckily the team decided to keep him for one more year. If
we were able to trade coaches I would trade Herm Edwards and his “Hermonettes”
for Marty and his victories in a New York minute.
Sure, Marty has had awful luck in the playoffs. As a Clevelander I was there for
“the drive” and “the fumble.” A missed field goal in Kansas City is still talked
about. A missed field goal in San Diego spelled doom again this season for
Marty. Oh, it should be noted that was for a 14-2 Marty team. When he wins the
Super Bowl next year he will be recognized as a coaching genius.
***
Here’s an inside tip: If you are an athletic director at a college
or the owner of a pro team, track down Marty’s kid, Brian, and deliver a
wheelbarrow full of money and a long-term contract to him. The kid has grown up
and coached around the finest minds in all of football starting at Blue Valley
High School. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…
****
Joe Posnanski is not only the top sportswriter at the Kansas City
Star, but one of the best in the nation. The second-best sportswriter at the
Star is Jeffrey Flanagan. On the other side, has anyone fallen off the sports
radar screen more than Jason Whitlock? Without radio and TV tie-ins he is like
the proverbial tree falling in the forest with no one around.
To round out local sports media stars none in TV can hold a candle to Jack Harry
at KSHB-TV41. While folks last year were attacking him because he said Priest
Holmes was done with the Chiefs he held his ground. He was right. The rest of
the TV sports talkers are just TelePrompTer readers.
The king of sports radio is Soren Petro at WHB-810. While he is sometimes too
“gamblerish” for my tastes, the guy knows his stuff. A close second is Kevin
Kietzman, who knows how to keep discussions lively and Internet blogs buzzing.
***
It is just about time for cute little driver Danica Patrick to put
up or shut up on the track. She has been grabbing headlines for years and living
off her good looks, but has failed to deliver anything other than press
clippings. That’s despite driving since 2002 for one of the top teams in the
sport (Rahal Letterman Racing). Danica turns 25 next month, is now racing for
Andretti Green Racing, and needs to show she is something more than a feminist
novelty act.
***
If you want a real indication of how far the Royals’ players are
from competing for anything other than last place in the league, look no farther
than recent remarks by catcher John Buck. At the team’s forecast luncheon last
month Buck talked about the “pressure” of trying to get the 12th hit when the
fans would get a free dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts. If that’s pressure one could
only imagine how he would perform in a playoff game.
***
Sorry to see Bob Fescoe leave for greener pastures in St. Louis.
When he and Rhonda Moss had their press credentials yanked by the Royals Fescoe
correctly felt his bosses at Union Broadcasting hung him out to dry. Rather than
fight them he did a virtual media tour 0ver the incident to let potential
employers know he was alive and well and ready to move on.
Fescoe really didn’t care if the Royals ever returned his credentials. However,
it is about time the team realizes the error of its ways and returns Moss’s
press pass. The sooner the better.
(Feel free to send your thoughts,
comments, complaints, whatever to Landsberg at [email protected]). He
reluctantly responds to them all.)
